'It feels like a community divided'

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GLACE BAY — Emotions ran high as the future of the Glace Bay family of schools was debated by students, parents and commmunity members Monday night.

Approximately 350 people turned out for the third and final public meeting hosted by Glace Bay's school options committee, where it detailed what it will be recommending to the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board.

Those recommendations are that MacDonald Elementary in Dominion and Tompkins Elementary in Reserve Mines close and those students be moved to a Bridgeport School, which would be renovated and expanded to become a P-5 school; that Gowrie Memorial School in Port Morien close and those students move to Donkin School; and that John Bernard Croak V.C. Memorial School close and the students move to St. Anne's Elementary when the student population declines to a certain point.

Derrick Hayes, a member of the committee who presented the recommendations at the meeting, said those recommendations were arrived at following a close 10-9 vote by members of the committee who held "a wide variety of perspectives."

That variety of perspectives was also evident when the floor was opened to public comment.

Some in the crowd expressed their support of another option that would see MacDonald, Tompkins and Bridgeport schools all close and a new P-5 school be built, some felt a renovated P-5 Bridgeport School would serve all three areas well, while others voiced concern about the impact the closure of Jobn Bernard Croak School would have on that community.

Several people from Bridgeport School expressed disappointment that some of those in favour of a new school rather than a renovated Bridgeport School chose to wave signs with the word Bridgeport circled with a line through it.

"Was it necessary to attack another community?" said Brennon MacLean. "Was any thought given to the children that are sitting in Bridgeport right now?"

Later in the meeting, Paul Prince, a member of the school options committee and school advisory chair at MacDonald Elementary, apologized for the signs but said he stood firm in his position that a new school be built.

"It wasn't the intent to go against the community (of Bridgeport)," he said. "We want and we deserve a new state-of-the-art school for all communities."

One of the loudest applauses of the night was saved for Scott McNeil, a Grade 5 student at MacDonald Elementary, who would like to see a new school built but encouraged everyone to work together.

"If we as children can agree it's right to get along, why not give us that chance?" he said, describing several ways the three schools already work together. "Why can't we all do it together in a new school?

"Let's do this together. Remember the saying two become one, well in this case, three can become one," he said.

Darren Morgan, who described himself as a proud alumnus of Bridgeport School, spoke in support of the renovated Bridgeport School option but said he understands the emotion on all sides.

"One of the really unfortunate things with this process, as we've seen here tonight, is that this process pits us against each other," he said. "We all love our schools, everyone can see that, and the board has to look at that, but also has to look at what is the best available use of the resources."

School options committee chair Melissa McDonald, who voted against the recommendations made by the committee because she favours a new P-5 school being built, said the meeting highlighted the difficult process the committee itself went through.

"There's a lot of emotion, there's no consensus here. It's very split. It feels like a community divided in many cases," she said.

The work of school options commitee in five families of schools began five months ago after the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board's decision in August to identified 19 schools for potential closure.

The school board will hold its own public meetings in March, and final decisions about school closures will be made by the board in April.

ljgrant@cbpost.com

Approximately 350 people turned out for the third and final public meeting hosted by Glace Bay's school options committee, where it detailed what it will be recommending to the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board.

Those recommendations are that MacDonald Elementary in Dominion and Tompkins Elementary in Reserve Mines close and those students be moved to a Bridgeport School, which would be renovated and expanded to become a P-5 school; that Gowrie Memorial School in Port Morien close and those students move to Donkin School; and that John Bernard Croak V.C. Memorial School close and the students move to St. Anne's Elementary when the student population declines to a certain point.

Derrick Hayes, a member of the committee who presented the recommendations at the meeting, said those recommendations were arrived at following a close 10-9 vote by members of the committee who held "a wide variety of perspectives."

That variety of perspectives was also evident when the floor was opened to public comment.

Some in the crowd expressed their support of another option that would see MacDonald, Tompkins and Bridgeport schools all close and a new P-5 school be built, some felt a renovated P-5 Bridgeport School would serve all three areas well, while others voiced concern about the impact the closure of Jobn Bernard Croak School would have on that community.

Several people from Bridgeport School expressed disappointment that some of those in favour of a new school rather than a renovated Bridgeport School chose to wave signs with the word Bridgeport circled with a line through it.

"Was it necessary to attack another community?" said Brennon MacLean. "Was any thought given to the children that are sitting in Bridgeport right now?"

Later in the meeting, Paul Prince, a member of the school options committee and school advisory chair at MacDonald Elementary, apologized for the signs but said he stood firm in his position that a new school be built.

"It wasn't the intent to go against the community (of Bridgeport)," he said. "We want and we deserve a new state-of-the-art school for all communities."

One of the loudest applauses of the night was saved for Scott McNeil, a Grade 5 student at MacDonald Elementary, who would like to see a new school built but encouraged everyone to work together.

"If we as children can agree it's right to get along, why not give us that chance?" he said, describing several ways the three schools already work together. "Why can't we all do it together in a new school?

"Let's do this together. Remember the saying two become one, well in this case, three can become one," he said.

Darren Morgan, who described himself as a proud alumnus of Bridgeport School, spoke in support of the renovated Bridgeport School option but said he understands the emotion on all sides.

"One of the really unfortunate things with this process, as we've seen here tonight, is that this process pits us against each other," he said. "We all love our schools, everyone can see that, and the board has to look at that, but also has to look at what is the best available use of the resources."

School options committee chair Melissa McDonald, who voted against the recommendations made by the committee because she favours a new P-5 school being built, said the meeting highlighted the difficult process the committee itself went through.

"There's a lot of emotion, there's no consensus here. It's very split. It feels like a community divided in many cases," she said.

The work of school options commitee in five families of schools began five months ago after the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board's decision in August to identified 19 schools for potential closure.

The school board will hold its own public meetings in March, and final decisions about school closures will be made by the board in April.